09 Apr 2025
[Ms. Geetha Lahari asked: Paada Namaskaaram Swami. In recent discussion, when I asked You the difference between maya and mithyaa, You told mithyaa is illusion. For example, when we see a rope and mistake it as snake, this illusion can be crossed by the removal of ignorance. But, You also told that creation is mithyaa to Shankara but not to souls. So, the entire creation is mithyaa to Shankara but not to souls. But, when a small item of creation is mistaken for another item out of illusion, that is mithyaa to us. Swami, is my understanding correct Swami? At Your Divine Lotus Feet - Geetha Lahari]
Swami replied:- The word ‘mithyaa’ has two senses:-
i) Knowing the rope and entertaining it as serpent.
ii) Not knowing the rope and continuing under the illusion of serpent (This can be called as illusion of rope also because illusion as serpent is connected to the rope or based on the rope.). Shankara belongs to first type. You and I belong to second type. This is the meaning of My statement.
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